For unto us a child is born — Isaiah's Christmas prophecy.
Written seven centuries early, this verse names Jesus before he was born.
The episode in a glance.
- 01Written around 700 BC, in a time of war and political fear.
- 02Four names for the coming king — each a claim to divinity.
- 03'Government' will be on his shoulders — he'll carry it.
- 04Christmas isn't sentimental; it's regime change.
Read along.
'For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.' Isaiah wrote this 700 years before Jesus.
'A child is born, a son is given.' The first half is human — a baby born in the normal way. The second half is divine — a son given from somewhere else.
'The government shall be upon his shoulder.' He will carry the weight of ruling. Not you. Not a senate. Him.
And then the four names. Wonderful Counselor — wisdom you can trust. Mighty God — divinity, not metaphor. Everlasting Father — fatherly care that never expires. Prince of Peace — the one who brings shalom.
If you've ever thought of Christmas as a soft, sentimental holiday, Isaiah didn't. He saw it as regime change. The real king arriving as a baby — and that changes who's actually in charge of your life.